


You Can Lay With Us (so it doesn't hurt)

by Anonymous



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BAMF Pepper Potts, Darcy Feels, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Everyone Has Issues, Except Pepper, F/F, F/M, First Time, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hurt/Comfort, In the slow right way no one's good at, M/M, Multi, Poor Darcy, Protective Pepper, Protective Tony, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-blaming, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Steve and Bucky are Darcy's Soulmates and she's not with them, Tony Stark Has A Heart, technically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2018-02-20 03:12:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2412824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Ain’t no one ever going to want you but your soulmates.”</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How do you make it work with not one, but two people who weren't born bearing your words?</p><p>(Sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/2329808/chapters/5133551">Barbie Doll</a>)</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can Lay With Us (so it doesn't hurt)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [are you the one? (yep, that was me)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2059584) by [ErisDea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErisDea/pseuds/ErisDea). 



> While I usually try to make it otherwise, you're probably going to have to read _Barbie Doll_ before reading this, or else you might not understand. I also highly recommend reading _are you the one?(yep, that was me)_ , since this is technically a divergence off of that (and also because it's just awesome and should be read anyway).

* * *

* * *

 

 

One day, Darcy’s going to drive from coast to coast; experience every taste, touch, smell, and foul personality the country has to offer, and soak up every sight like a sponge with a prayer that she’ll never forget the image.

 

From the window of the jet, each state is identical to the next; there are no bold drunken lines of black to separate borders like maps imply, no fields with the state’s name brazenly carved into their crops. The ground below is nothing more than a literal patchwork of brown, gold, and green squares with the occasional shine of a body of water to break up the monotony. There had been mountains involved somewhere, but they had been few and scattered. In the air, the beauty of the inhabited country loses itself it the sky endless blue and wispy, whimsical clouds.

 

One day, though.

 

Sucking her bottom lip lightly between her teeth, Darcy risks a glance at the seat across from her. Pepper Potts is formidable and gorgeous in anything that she wears, but in the uninhibited sunlight her strawberry hairs glints a luminous red, the strands falling freely over the sharp black of her unbuttoned suit jacket, and she looks more beautiful buckled in the seat of an airplane than she does on any airbrushed magazine Darcy has ever seen her in. A blush warms her face at the thought, and she looks away just as quickly.

 

It shouldn’t be awkward; she shouldn’t be shy around this woman at all, when two nights ago Pepper’s hands had been on her naked flesh and Darcy’s tongue had been in her mouth and _orgasms._

_Fuck this fucking blush what the actual fuck._

Tony’s in the bedroom, crashed out from a twenty-four-hour stint in his workshop to finish projects and organize for the trip – he had looked a mix between drunk and stoned this morning, but the smile on his lips had been loose and his shoulders relaxed, and when he had slipped on his sunglasses it had been impossible to tell he was anything but at his best. He had been especially touchy, holding Pepper’s hand and wrapping his arm around Darcy’s shoulders as the bags were loaded into the car. Though that had possibly been to annoy Steve – Tony was a troll like that.

 

 

Steve had been the only one to see Darcy away this morning, still decked in his sweats and t-shirt from running, still sweaty and beautiful. The touch of sadness to the grin he had offered her had almost broken her resolve _I’m lying to you! I’m lying to you and I’m cheating on you stop looking at me like I’m a good thing, Steve!_ had been broken by the absence of their other piece.

 

James had left the regimen he had made for her on top of her bag – ten sheets of crisp white and printed paper neatly stapled together – and had been nowhere in sight. Hadn’t snuck around a corner to test her, tapped her shoulder from behind to startle her, hadn’t shown up with Steve to see her off.

 

(“He’s never been one for good-byes,” Steve had offered apologetically, knowing who she had been looking for (because who else would she have been looking for?). And it had stung, harder than a little but less than missed touches, and she wondered then and wonders now if it’s because she’s so used to his distance that it doesn’t even register anymore.

 

Steve had leaned down to kiss her, a chaste touch because he’s not for strong public displays though Darcy loves them, their lips barely pressing together before Tony’s arm had slung over her shoulders, dragging her back just a step enough to push himself between them, a wicked smirk on his face. “Uh, uh, Cap,” he had taunted. “We’re outside. Don’t want anyone to think you’re anything other than vanilla, right? What _would_ the headlines say?” (another sting, because Steve had actually flushed, his glare at Tony only half-hearted as he had stepped back with another small grin toward her).).

 

He had been and still is happy for her and no one had told or tells him _anything_.

 

“Darcy.”

 

Her head jerks up at Pepper’s call – her skin feels oddly cold now, and she only hopes it’s cold enough that the flush before is gone. The smile on Pepper’s face, however, isn’t teasing – it’s a small thing, little upturns on the corners of her lips that aren’t really even there. She’s looking up from a stack of papers that Tony had scoffed at before going to bed, her eyes slanted in a different direction than her smile, and Darcy swallows.

 

They had talked, _before_ ; had talked about comfort zones and boundaries and consent for what had only meant to be one night.

 

“You think louder than Tony,” the older woman muses, sounding fond. She lowers the papers to the chair’s table, still in her grip but out of the way, and tosses her bangs from eyes with an elegant nod of her head. “And I think I know what you’re thinking about. Darcy, this doesn’t have to be anything more than a business trip, or even that. It can just be a break away from them, some time to yourself to … consider your choices. Choices that don’t necessarily have to involve Tony and I, or even Tony and I together.”

 

Darcy’s eyes widen at the implication, _because what,_ and Pepper’s smile becomes a little ruthful as she winces.  “I know what I want from this, Darcy. Tony knows what he wants.”

 

“Me,” she offers, because that’s true. She knows they want her (Tony had said so when she had gone to him, and they had both said so that night. _She_ knowsthat).

 

“You _happy,”_ Pepper corrects, crossing one leg over the other as she sits back, her full and undivided attention on Darcy (it’s just as intense as Tony’s). “Whatever that means.”

 

James’ rare smiles and Steve’s smart-mouth. Pepper’s soft skin and Tony’s biting kisses.

 

The ground below has turned into a dark rust color, diving into slopes and ragged edges and devoid of life.

 

Hell if she knows.

**Author's Note:**

> S-low build.
> 
> So. I have a terrible (awesome) thing for music _and_ said thing demands that Tony and Darcy's (and Pepper's, here) song is Sam Smith's ["Stay With Me"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n-LwYmCqKk) _The lyrics, damn it all. It's like Tony's heart is singing to Darcy **fuck**_ Also, title.


End file.
